A Private Retreat

Transport yourself to a time that focused on courtier living, white wigs and extreme elegance. Now imagine yourself living the life of a queen or duchess. You hold many secrets, but the least obvious of these is the private bathroom tucked behind a hidden door in the intimate confines of your boudoir powder room. This is the true story that designer Tristan Butterfield uncovered during his years with the English National Trust and captures in his master bathroom vignette, A Private Retreat.

Butterfield modernizes elements of the past through the introduction of color into the space. "Using color in a bathroom is a simple way to modernize the space," says Butterfield. "Even a room that is based on designs of the past can have a relevant place in contemporary design when color is used." Butterfield uses shades of pale pink to create a modern feel in the 18th Century-inspired bathroom.

A guest will first observe a small powder room bathed in the intimate softness of pale pink paneled walls with intricate detailing and a dropped ceiling. Adding to the warmth of the powder room is a hand-carved fireplace. A KOHLER Provinity™ Vanity in Vellum with a KOHLER Iron/Impressions™ one-piece surface and integrated lavatory in Innocent Blush™ provides the perfect place for a queen to check her complexion. The KOHLER Cast Iron lavatory is adorned with the timeless appeal of a polished chrome KOHLER Pinstripe widespread lavatory faucet. And a moveable wall in the powder room unveils a lush, ornate bathroom beyond. Stepping through the passageway, the ceiling vaults to a new height and features a grand chandelier.

The eye travels down the familiar pink paneled walls to view a floor of Ann Sacks® English Saddle Brown marble tile, cut and inlaid to create a starburst design. The KOHLER Maestro™ Whirlpool bath in Innocent Blush, complete with a Pinstripe bath filler in polished chrome, is wrapped from floor to ceiling in a pink, modern Damask patterned after an 18th Century Italian design from Butterfield's very own fabric collection. Butterfield continues the use of pink, choosing the KOHLER Santa Rosa™ toilet in Innocent Blush. Situated behind the spacious bath is a large mirror with a media screen offering convenient 21st Century amenities. Lastly, KOHLER Pinstripe accessories, such as towel bars and robe hooks, round out the plumbing appointments and help tie the entire room together.

About the designer

Tristan Butterfield trained at the Royal College of Art in London and has worked for Branson Coates Architecture, United Designers and David Chipperfield Architects. He has been Visiting Professor at Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design in industrial design.

Tristan Butterfield established Butterfield & Butterfield Limited in 2001, and has since undertaken a wide selection of work in the United Kingdom and abroad. Recent projects include luxury goods for Czech & Speake, award-winning fabric and wallpaper collections for Zoffany, furniture for Mary Fox Linton and the home of Dior's fashion photographer Nick Knight.